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FEATURE
1963—KGTS 91.3—2013
POSITIVE LIFE RADIO CELEBRATES
50 YEARS OF SERVING STUDENTS
AND LISTENERS
ctober 6, 1963. From cramped quarters in the Administration
Building, KGTS-FM sits on the verge of its official
opening broadcast. Since the first Walla Walla College radio
production class in 1941, more than two decades of planning,
hard work and testing have gone into this moment.
At 5:01 p.m., a radio speaker crackles to life.
This evening and this hour marks the official opening of
KGTS-FM noncommercial, educational radio.
With this introduction by Loren Dickinson, a professor
in the speech department and station manager from 1963 to
1984, the college station is on the air and ready to serve.
TRAINING FOR STUDENTS, A FRIEND FOR
LISTENERS
Now, as the station celebrates its 50th anniversary, Dickinson
reflects on its main reason for existence. “The ‘GTS’ in
KGTS stands for ‘gateway to service,’” Dickinson says. “That’s
larger than the station, of course. It’s symbolic of Walla Walla
University — and the church, for that matter.”
January 2013 • GLEANER
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